What are advantages and disadvantages to the different ways of cutting a cigar?

Of course, you can always do it like the hardcore Western hero and bite the tip off your cigar. However, this is not particularly aesthetic nor very practical, since the mouthpiece tears, the sensitive wrapper can to be severely damaged and may even start to roll up. Then, there are the purists for whom just a few pinpricks in the end of the cigar will do the trick. A well-rolled cigar should still draw but be forewarned, this will make the cigar taste much stronger. Due to the narrow flow of air, the flavours are heavily concentrated on the palate and the complexities and depth of the taste are all but lost. Some aficionados actually prefer the intensity of taste that results, but that, as with so many other things, is a matter of taste. Those two extremes aside, there are many well established techniques and tools for the job available on the market today. There are several different types of cigar cutters, starting with the classic V-Cut cutter or wedge cutter, the model preferred by our progenitors. As the name suggests, this tool produces a V-shaped cut in the cap of the cigar. In the past, short fillers were the most common cigars available, drills were not very well known, and the wedge cut was handy, because it helped keep the shredded tobacco inside the short filler from getting inside the smoker's mouth, like crumbs. Nowadays, the most widely used tool for this purpose is the double blade cutter. The two blades can cut off the entire head of the cigar, if desired, or only part of the cap. The double blade cutter is the current classic among cutters. Made from two razor-sharp blades contained within a typically ergonomically designed casing, it applies pressure evenly from both sides for a clean, precise cut. Cigar scissors offer similar advantages though most models would not prove practical to carry in your pocket. Then there is the guillotine cutter. Equipped with only one blade, guillotines are very flat and are a comfortable fit in most every pocket, but the single blade makes it difficult to achieve a clean cut, particularly when compared to the double blade cutter. Apropos pockets: If you intend to carry your cutter in your pocket, you should choose a device with a lockable blade. Many a thoughtless hand in the pocket has led to bloody fingers. The cigar punch is another option. It employs a round blade to cut a hole in the cap of the cigar. Detractors claim that condensate could deposit in the remainder of the cap during the course of the smoke. Others say that the full blend of flavours will only develop on the palate when the whole cap has been cut clean off. The latter argument gives room for thought. In fact, smoke which flows through a small hole is more concentrated than that which flows through a large hole, like that resulting from cutting the end clean off of a cigar. By extension, this would imply that, with a larger hole, what reaches the palate has a broader spectrum of flavours. Punches come in different sizes though, so if you agree with the argument presented above, you should choose one that cuts out a fairly large piece of the cap. Conveniently, most punches are designed with a built-in device which automatically ejects the round piece of tobacco it has just removed from the cigar, saving you the annoying task of tapping it out into the ashtray. If you are a fan of Perfecto cigars however, you may find using a punch quite tricky. Last on this list is the Easycut which is particularly well-suited to beginners. You'll often find them being distributed for free at special events. The advantage of these models is that they have a wall behind the blades acting as a stopper and keeping you from inserting the cigar too far into the cutter. They only let you cut the cap off the cigar, and so by default, you avoid cutting off too large a piece of the cigar which could put the wrapper at risk of unrolling.